


I've been gone since yesterday & I fell straight, straight into your arms

by TortiTabby



Series: The End and Beginning [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Apocalypse, M/M, mention of plane crash, world ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 08:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14690001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TortiTabby/pseuds/TortiTabby
Summary: It was an impossible choice. It wasn't one at all. He suddenly knew what he had to do.“I can't.” He called up. “I have to go North. I have to go to Phil.”Dan's alone in London and the World's ending.





	I've been gone since yesterday & I fell straight, straight into your arms

**Author's Note:**

> This is Dan's side of the World ending. Goes along with "Back to You"  
> This one is a little heavier so please keep that in mind if that's not your cup of tea! It does all end happy though because I'm a sap!  
> Title from Vance Joy's "Straight Into Your Arms"  
>  _"Straight into your arms; keep me safe_  
>  _And I don't feel like myself_  
>  _I been waiting to go_  
>  _Straight into your arms; keep me safe"_  
>   
>  _You keep me on track_  
>  _I can't sleep 'til you come back home to me_  
>  _Into my arms, baby_  
>  _So let's make the best of what we have ___  
>  _Time is precious; it won't last_  
>  _I see you and I get back"_  
>   
>  It doesn't matter which you read first but I would recommend this one second. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

The days were dragging on for Dan, as they usually do when Phil went up North. They seemed longer this time though, as the guilt ate away at Dan in the morning light of their empty flat. He never pulled the 'don't go' card and was more frustrated at himself than Phil with the whole argument. He had simply been stretched maybe a bit too thin the last few months and had been selfish. He wished he would have just gone with. Three days of 'alone time' and wallowing in self pity were left before he could just look back at this with a mild irritation.  
The light he left on in the hallway flickered violently. He frowned. He could cope with the light out if he had to tonight, and he wasn't going to tell Phil either way but he sure wasn't looking forward to being in the dark. No matter how old he got he would never be a fan of being alone in the dark.  
He finally dragged himself out of bed and continued through his day. The Skype call and phone call he tried to have with Phil both broke up badly enough they couldn't hear each other so begrudgingly they agreed to try again the next morning. It wasn't enough but he could deal with one day. It seemed to be a gloomy, stormy sort of day so he watched sappy movie after sappy movie that Phil would scold him for watching by himself because he knew it made him cry, took too long of a shower being lost in his thoughts and finally ended his evening with a small home cook meal he whipped up for himself and settling into bed.  
  
He was nearly asleep when the hallway light flickered ominously like it had that morning before plunging the house into total darkness.  
Dan bolted upright in bed, breathing heavy. Something was wrong. It was too dark. It was too quiet. The hums and whirrs that the house usually made were silent. He could hear his neighbors and people outside leaving their flats and talking to each other. Out his window he realized no street lights were on and as far as he could see of London seemed to be in the dark. A total blackout?  
If that wasn't eerie enough he could just make out the tiny blinking lights of an airplane in the distance. It was right under the belly of the massive thunderstorm clouds that he'd done his best to ignore today. It was blinking under the clouds but the lights were dying and it was falling- it was falling fast. Suddenly it was no longer a plane but a fireball as it hit somewhere out in London not too close but close enough to be worrisome. He could see the buildings in the distance almost mock him with the light that was suddenly painted against them before being drenched back in the blackness. He sat in silent for several minutes before a woman's voice he recognized from living across the street let out a scream that made his skin crawl. It was desperate and raw and not at all the scream you make from watching a plane fall in the distance. It was personal and it was haunting.  
He crept over to their bedroom door before closing and locking it, paranoia getting the best of him. After running and diving back into the safety of his warm duvet he tried calling the police and when that didn't work Phil again, hands trembling while he dialed but to no avail. Attempting to distract himself in social media wasn't working either, it was if any way of accessing the internet was out as well. He tried to calm himself down and do some breathing exercises his therapist taught him before finally being exhausted enough to fall into a fitful slumber.  
When he woke up the next day things weren't magically changed and his phone wasn't suddenly working. Panic clawed at his throat but he tried to go about his day like he normally would. He grabbed the switch and played it until it died and spent the rest of the time desperately trying not to over think things. It wasn't going to help to scare himself with the worst possible scenarios running through his head.  
  
Finally the burning question of what the hell was happening was too much for Dan to ponder alone and he decided to venture out to see if anyone had any answers. He walked down the street to one of their favorite coffee shop's where the owner was overly friendly, a bit too curious about their relationship and always loaded Phil up with more sugar than any sane person would ever do. Still she was kind and was one of Dan's favorite perks of this flat's location. 

When he arrived at the shop he was surprised to see it closed and the surrounding area deserted. It was never an overwhelmingly busy location but this was the first time he ever saw it not bustling with people. It looked wrong empty. Come to think of it, he hadn't even seen any people on his trek over.  
“What are you doing here?” A voice above him called out. He craned his neck to see the owner of the shop staring at him wide eyed from a window above him.  
“We've lost all communication from the outside world. Everyone's gone mad.” She exclaimed. She looked around nervously as she talked to him.  
“You should get out of London. That's what I'm doing. It isn't safe here right now. Power's barley been gone half a day and I saw the shop down the way get robbed in broad daylight. People are stealing and killing and it's only going to get worse. They don't come through often but what I've heard when we get someone on the radio I have handy it seems like London isn’t alone in this.”  
Dan could hear her husband ushering her to stop talking to him and pack faster.  
“Sorry, Love, I've got to get packing. You should get out of here too. The less people the safer.” She paused “Where's our Blue Eyes?” She asked.  
Dan hardly registered the pet name that always turned Phil fire engine red. His words tasted like ash. “I'm- He's- I'm by myself right now.” His voice was smaller than he recalled it ever being.  
“Come with us.”  
“Helen!” The man shouted behind her.  
“I trust him. He's a good lad I can tell.”  
Dan could hear muttering as they moved their arugeing further from his prying ears but he didn't have to wait long before she stuck her head back out.  
“Go get your things and meet us here. You can come with us.” She told him the name of the small town they were headed towards. It wasn't too far away and it just so happened to go right past Wokingham to get there. Guilt twisted his stomach into knots. He hadn't thought of his family this whole time. Were they okay? If people were as crazy as it sounded like shouldn't he go to them? It was an impossible choice. It wasn't one at all. He suddenly knew what he had to do.  
“I can't.” He called up. “I have to go North. I have to go to Phil.”  
She only stared at him for a moment before nodding and shooing him away with her hand. He stumbled back and started to walk slowly back to their flat. When he turned back to look a last time he saw her crying into her hands, her husband's hands on her shoulders.

 

It was the next day. He pulled a backpack over his shoulders and headed out. The screaming had increased and he had hardly rested at all. He knew he was going to need it to make his journey. Isle of Man wasn't exactly close. He thought of how often they would just fly there before the bright light of an explosion reappeared in his head again, chilling his bones.  
He walked fast with his head down most of the way through London. The majority of people were either trying to avoid people themselves or were busy causing chaos and destruction. As not intimidating as Dan was, being alone and over six foot in all black seemed to work in his favor.  
After a few hours of walking he turned the corner to find a group of four men hot-wiring a van on the side of the road.  
“Mate you have something for us?” One called out as a taller, larger member of their group jumped up and waltzed over to Dan.  
He was not deterred by Dan's height and could clearly see right through him. This man was not scared or uncomfortable by Dan's presence. If anything it seemed like a mild irritation to the group.  
“Give us your bag and you can go.” He said simply and shoved at Dan's shoulder.  
Dan fell hard on his back. Fear pulsed through his veins and he could hardly hear over his pounding heart.  
He shed the bag in record timing before handing it over.  
“Let's see, let's see. Hmm” The brute tore the bag open and dumped it at Dan's feet. Mocking him and going through the bag seemed like an unnecessary addition to stealing from him.  
“A torch, a kitchen knife, so scary” He laughed. “Some crisps and some other food. This is all boring stereotypical survival stuff. Wait a second what have we got here?”  
Dan could feel the blood heat his face up.  
“A book? Why would you need a book now? Of all times?” The men behind him all laughed and started over.  
“Wait it gets better, lads! Are you _on_ the book? Is that you?”  
“The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire?” A different man read, clearly baffled. “What in fresh hell is this?”  
It was at that point that Dan's fight or flight kicked in. It wasn't safe by these men. He wasn't safe and he had to leave. Now.  
He jumped up and sprinted in the opposite way than what he came. His legs felt like jello as he pounded into the asphalt with athleticism he had never seen from himself in his whole life. He could hear the men behind him shouting and laughing but he couldn't turn around. He could only run.  
He finally slowed to a stop in what seemed like an eternity later and cursed himself for not knowing what area of London he had wondered into. He was lost and he had no food and he was a damn fool for bringing that book. It was sentimental and stupid. They had always said _”When everything else is gone the book will be here.”_ and it was that thought that caused him to grab it off of the shelf. That and the pictures of Phil, the story of them. If he never found Phil. If something happened to Phil...  
“Sir?” Dan jumped and looked over to a small family that were watching him apprehensively. He was vaguely aware of the cold tears on his cheeks.  
“You alright?” The dad called out tentatively.  
Dan shook his head no. The events of the afternoon and the adrenaline wearing off took a toll on his ability to not seem pathetic, apparently.  
The man was standing with his body blocking his small family huddled behind him. An older teenage boy holding hands with a small girl. Their mother with a hand on each of their shoulders.  
“Sorry. I'm- I'll be fine. I was just-” Dan gulped and got a grip on himself. “I'm fine. I'm sorry for scaring you. I'm just trying to leave London.”  
The older boy stepped out and offered a small smile to Dan. “We were just about to leave, too. Found some cars with keys in them. I found a nice car with a hide a key in the gas cap for us but I think I saw a truck not too far away with keys on the front seat. I could show you where it was?”  
Dan waited for the parents to object but the mother just beamed at her son and their dad looked slightly put out.  
“Hurry back, Michael, we will meet you at the van but we need to leave soon.” He urged before turning the rest of their family away.  
Dan tried to not let the pang of the son's name hit him too hard.  
“This is mad, right?” Michael said a short while into their walk.  
“It is. I don't even know what is happening but mad seems about right. Thank you for helping me.”  
“Yeah, no worries. Whatever it was started from that crazy electrical storm, I think.”  
Dan neglected to tell Michael that he didn't actually witness the crazy storm because he was crying into his throw pillow over an onscreen break up.  
“I know my dad thinks I'm doing too much but I feel better doing something. I'm ready to be back by my sister though. I feel like I've got to protect her. That's the duty of being an older brother, right?” He laughed.  
Dan fought the urge to be sick.  
“Hey, the truck is that green one right up ahead. Will you be okay if I head back now?” Dan thanked him profusely before they said their goodbyes and parted ways. 

  


Dan missed driving. He was happy to find the roads bare, since he was fairly out of practice but the relaxing freedom of driving came back to him like riding a bike. He was afraid of drawing attention to himself but was pleasantly surprised to find most people avoiding the main roads he was using. It would take some time to get to the docks to go to Isle of Man but once he did he would be with Phil again and this nightmare would be behind him. 

Dan took the drive slow and steady, once he was a ways out of London he decided to sleep for a few hours while he could. He pulled over and slept the lightest he had his whole life, waking up every time the wind picked up or his imagination supplied a noise and gave up after just two or three hours. The rest of the way Dan drove without incident and pulled in a few streets away from his destination. If he learned anything in the last few days it was he couldn't be too cautious. 

He knew it couldn't be good news when he saw the crowd of people down by the docks. He frowned at a woman who was trying to calm down a screaming man next to her.  
“The ferries stopped coming.” She said to him simply.  
It was the final straw. The ground was pulled out from under him but all Dan could feel was numb. He was at a loss to do. Phil was on that damned island. He needed Phil. They had to be together. Dan didn't even know if he was okay or if the island was okay.  
After skulking around he found an apartment above a fish market that he broke into and made into a temporary home. He crawled into the stranger's bed and slept the next few days away. It wasn't healthy or productive but when Dan finally woke up he felt ready to face it all. Ready to get to Phil.  
He got in his green truck and drove away from the docks. The people there had been nearly as desperate and savage as in London. It seemed like the place to be at the end of the world and Dan wasn't feeling up to company at the moment. He needed somewhere familiar, somewhere he could come up with a plan and have a reliable shelter that he wouldn't get lost. So he headed to Manchester.  


Fast forward a few weeks and he was camped out in the first room he ever shared with Phil in their old Manchester flat. Piles of blankets he found were puddled at his feet on the floor where he had been sleeping. He was stocked up on water but had trouble finding very much food and could feel it in his bones. He wasn't sure where to go from here. The radio he acquired had an update on the outside world right after sunset every night and there were quiet glimmers of hope and rehabilitation, rumors of help coming and cleaning up starting in the South.  
He was jarred out of his thoughts at the sound of the flat door creaking open. He mentally cursed himself for forgetting to lock it. He didn't have any real weapons so he was going to just have to act like he did.  
  
“Don't move!” He growled out and stepped further out of the kitchen.  
The intruder was tall with dark hair with lighter roots. The intruder was familiar. He would recognize him anywhere.  
“Phil?” He heard the name leave his lips before he had time to process he was saying it. He could feel himself swaying and felt dizzy with emotion. He watched the man he loved simple stare at him, white as a sheet with his mouth agape before he crumpled to his knees with his face in his hands.  
“Phil!” The fog was lifting. It was real. They found each other. He was never going to take his eyes off of Phil again.  
Dan ran over and crushed Phil in a hug tighter than he knew his arms could flex. He still wasn't close enough. He didn't know if he ever could be.  
He absentmindedly realized he was crying into Phil's hair. He was crying hard enough that he was having difficulty breathing but Dan welcomed it. He welcomed all of it.  
They spent the next few hours tangled in each others arms quietly telling their individual stories, occasionally stopping to just cry or kiss each other. It was a feat Dan swore he would never take advantage of again. Dan could see lights in the sky above Manchester and hear the loud sound of what could only be a helicopter. He wasn't sure what it meant and wasn't sure he cared. His head was nestled into Phil's chest and he could feel the steady beat of his heart and in that moment nothing else mattered

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone would like me to write more in this world let me know and I will definitely attempt to do so!  
> Any comments will be greatly appreciated and over analyzed to feed my ego!


End file.
